Four Immediate Takeaways from Oklahoma State Football's 57-24 Win Over Colorado

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have now won more game this season than they have in the last two seasons combined.

The Cowboys (5-2, 3-1 in Big 12) defeated the Colorado Buffaloes (2-5, 0-4), xx-xx, on Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium. With that victory, the Cowboys have one more win than they had in the 2024 and 2025 seasons (four) combined.

The first half was filled with offense for both teams. The second was filled with Oklahoma State dominating the Buffs on both sides of the ball.

Here are four immediate takeaways from Saturday’s game.

The Turnover and Momentum Shift

The Cowboys’ defense was absolutely throttled in the first half. Colorado’s Isaac Wilson went 14-for-16 for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The Buffs scored three touchdowns and a field goal and only had to punt once. Morris wasn’t happy about that when he talked to Cowboys Radio network at halftime. He pointed to the secondary, which Wilson just shredded at times.

Well, on the first play of the third quarter the Cowboys defense made the play that turned the game around for the Cowboys. Wilson faked a handoff to running back JaQuail Smith on an RPO and then ran into the gut where he was stood up and Cowboys defensive tackle Jerry Lawson punched the ball out and safety Quinton Hammonds recovered it to give OSU great field position that the offense turned into a touchdown.

It was exactly what the Cowboys needed. The question was whether the unit could sustain that momentum when the Buffs got the ball on the next possession. They did, even with a Mo Horn pass interference call early in the drive. Defensive end James Williams and linebacker Ethan Wesloski sacked Wilson for a 7-yard loss on second down and then CU committed two straight pre-snap penalties to make it 3rd-and-26. Colorado then had to punt.

OSU converted the following drive into a 3-yard touchdown run by William Mason, pushing the lead to 37-24.

The Cowboys defense had issues, no question. But that one turnover completely flipped the momentum of the game in OSU’s direction.

A Fast Start But …

I think what Oklahoma State did in the first half qualified as a fast start. The Cowboys scored on five of their six first-half possessions, including a long touchdown pass on the third play of the game. But it came with a caveat.

Three of those five drives ended with field goals. Only one got into the red zone, but it represented another issue for the Cowboys, who can’t seem to convert touchdowns in that area of the field.

The other red zone possession was a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Mestemaker to Justin Bowick.

But, listening to head coach Eric Morris during his quick halftime interview on Cowboys Radio Network he pointed out the lack of efficiency in the red zone and settling for too many field goals. The great news is that kicker Sam Keltner is super-reliable. The bad news is that the Cowboys can’t seem to cash in these chances consistently.

Oklahoma State’s Triplets Rise Again

Watch enough football and you know that if a team has a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver, the offense has been incredibly efficient and that team probably won the game.

Well, the Cowboys had triplets on Saturday night. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Caleb Hawkins rushed for 120 yards. Wide receiver Justin Bowick caught five passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. That doesn’t account for Hawkins’ five receptions for 72 yards.

When this offense hums, it hums. Heck, it hums even when it sputters, as it did in the first half and it led to three field goals. By the 14:17 mark of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys had scored points on seven of their nine drives. Mestemaker, Hawkins and Bowick fueled that throughout the game.  

The Big 12 Race Tightens

These takeaways were filed before the start of the Utah-Houston game. But the day was filled with chaos that benefited the Cowboys.

No. 8 Texas Tech went to Cincinnati and lost. No. 2 BYU went to UCF and lost in double overtime in a game that featured some of the most chaotic stuff you’ll ever see at the end of a game. In the non-Big 12 race category, Kansas blocked a potential game-winning field goal as time expired against Baylor and West Virginia went to TCU and won.

Let’s assume Utah wins. If the Utes win, they remain undefeated and the Cowboys are bunched with three other Big 12 teams with a loss in league play — Texas Tech, BYU and Arizona. A Utah win helps the Cowboys because that gives Houston a second loss, neutering the Cougars’ tiebreaker over the Cowboys — at least for now.

If the Utes lose, then it’s a — gulp — six-way tie for first place between Utah, BYU, Texas Tech, Houston, Oklahoma State and Arizona. I’m not breaking that tie — at least not until I have to.

The Cowboys didn’t get a TON of help. Texas Tech is the only team among the Top 6 they have left to play. But, if OSU can keep winning — including a win over Texas Tech — then there’s a chance they could sneak into the Big 12 Championship game.

They walked out of Boone Pickens Stadium still in control of their own destiny. You can’t ask for much in a race that just got much tighter.